Orginally a vehicle to be directed by Tim Burton, who abandoned the project in order to make his masterpiece Ed Wood released the same year, Burton stayed on as a producer and left all other control to star/co-writer Chris Elliott and co-writer/director Adam Resnick.
Elliott's big claim to fame at this point was as a sketch performer on The Late Show with David Letterman and he also had a sitcom on Fox called Get a Life and had a supporting role in the wonderful Groundhog Day.
Here however Burton initially wanted Elliott to be the lead and when he left as director it was up to Elliott and his collaborator Resnick to make a movie.
Elliott's performance reminds me a lot of Nicolas Cage's performance in Vampire's Kiss with a very uneven tone that makes it goofy fun.
The story is very bizarre but that adds a certain charm to the movie reminiscent of Burton films.
The visuals are also pretty creative even though the movie had a fairly low budget.
This is definitely not a movie to appeal to everyone. If you enjoyed Chris Elliott's work in any of the aforementioned or There's Something About Mary or if you like Tim Burton movies then you will probably enjoy this.
I didn't laugh out loud but it definitely had some laughs. I felt some of it was over the top in being bizzare but I kind of like that it tried to be something different at the same time.
Seems like many have been divided on their opinion of this flick. It flopped at the box office when first released and reviews are very mixed from audiences and critics alike, with some saying it is great because of how bizarre it is to others finding it way too weird and unfunny on top of it.
For me it's a very middling movie. I like some of its uniqueness and creativity but I do also agree some of it is way too bizarre and that is both good and bad.
David Letterman's cameo appearance adds a big laugh here and although I am not a huge fan he steals his scene. Good writing I feel attributes to that.
I also do not feel Chris Elliott's career should have been hit as hard as it was by this movie. While he did go on to have supporting roles in hits like There's Something About Mary this remains his only film as a lead actor, and although his performance is uneven I admit that added some charm that could have continued to do very well as a lead in other films.
Whether you have heard great or very bad things about this movie I can confidently say it is a very original concept that has some enjoyment, and it is nowhere near as bad as its haters have made it out to be.
A definite acquired taste, if you so have that acquired taste give it a watch.
Elliott's big claim to fame at this point was as a sketch performer on The Late Show with David Letterman and he also had a sitcom on Fox called Get a Life and had a supporting role in the wonderful Groundhog Day.
Here however Burton initially wanted Elliott to be the lead and when he left as director it was up to Elliott and his collaborator Resnick to make a movie.
Elliott's performance reminds me a lot of Nicolas Cage's performance in Vampire's Kiss with a very uneven tone that makes it goofy fun.
The story is very bizarre but that adds a certain charm to the movie reminiscent of Burton films.
The visuals are also pretty creative even though the movie had a fairly low budget.
This is definitely not a movie to appeal to everyone. If you enjoyed Chris Elliott's work in any of the aforementioned or There's Something About Mary or if you like Tim Burton movies then you will probably enjoy this.
I didn't laugh out loud but it definitely had some laughs. I felt some of it was over the top in being bizzare but I kind of like that it tried to be something different at the same time.
Seems like many have been divided on their opinion of this flick. It flopped at the box office when first released and reviews are very mixed from audiences and critics alike, with some saying it is great because of how bizarre it is to others finding it way too weird and unfunny on top of it.
For me it's a very middling movie. I like some of its uniqueness and creativity but I do also agree some of it is way too bizarre and that is both good and bad.
David Letterman's cameo appearance adds a big laugh here and although I am not a huge fan he steals his scene. Good writing I feel attributes to that.
I also do not feel Chris Elliott's career should have been hit as hard as it was by this movie. While he did go on to have supporting roles in hits like There's Something About Mary this remains his only film as a lead actor, and although his performance is uneven I admit that added some charm that could have continued to do very well as a lead in other films.
Whether you have heard great or very bad things about this movie I can confidently say it is a very original concept that has some enjoyment, and it is nowhere near as bad as its haters have made it out to be.
A definite acquired taste, if you so have that acquired taste give it a watch.